Workplace Violence

The nature and threat of workplace violence is a dynamic phenomenon in contemporary America. The nature of workplace violence can be viewed from many different levels, with many different causes.

At one level, workplace violence is an issue with complicated psychological, financial, sociological, and legal implications. At this level, workplace violence is a societal problem, with multi-disciplinary components and causations. Indeed, the worker who commits an act of workplace violence is usually not merely acting out against the company or its employees, but is often acting out against the circumstances that he/she is unable to otherwise resolve. In this sense, the act of workplace violence is a symptom of larger problems, such as sexual, relational, financial, educational, or personal deficiencies—which may have little or nothing to do with the target company.

From another level, workplace violence can be viewed as an employment problem, because the result (the violence) is often focused on the company and its employees. At this level, the workplace violence is a business problem, with many adverse implications, such as reputational, public relations, morale, production, and liability exposures. These implications, of course, can be devastating to the affected company. In this sense, the company may not be able to “fix” the divergent problems facing the individual. The company, however, can do a lot to prevent the individual from lashing out against its employees, its resources, and its reputation. At this level, corporate officers can—and must—act to diminish or prevent the incidence of workplace violence.

There are a number of preventive methods which can be utilized. Typical security procedures and policies used to “harden” the target are applicable in relation to workplace violence. Common security methods, such as perimeter expansion, access control, personnel policies, and other methods designed to control the environment are useful in any security protocol. There are other workplace violence specific techniques, however, that may be applicable in your company.

An initial preventive response usually centers on the policies and procedures within the company. The implementation of a comprehensive “Workplace Violence Zero Tolerance” policy is an important consideration. These policies, however, must be related and complimentary to the company culture—otherwise they may create morale and liability implications for the organization.

As a general rule, all security procedures and policies must account for two critical principles: control and dignity.

Partly due to this dynamic, we utilize a three part workplace violence prevention process for problematic employees, who the company has decided to separate. This process is broken down into three separate and distinctive stages: Pre-termination, Termination, and Post-Termination. In each stage, we work closely with human resource and corporate officers, to facilitate the two key principles: control and dignity. Included in this process, we facilitate various preventive methods, from access control techniques to obtaining court Orders of Protection. There are a number of specific techniques which can be used. We adapt these techniques to your particular risk management exposures and organizational resources. In any case, this three stage process has proved itself as an effective solution to the threat of workplace violence.

Feel free to contact us to discuss how we can help resolve the threat of workplace violence at your company.